A Little Klezmer Among Friends
How do you celebrate 25 years of musical friendship? With
chamber music, of course! Clarinetist Christine Bellomy will join violinist
Miera Kim and cellist Carey Bostian as guest artist. You will hear a
little Klezmer, but the centerpiece of the program is a new work by Red Cedar’s
Emmy Award-winning composer-in-residence, Stephen Cohn. Grace from the Chess Master was
written with these three players in mind – it is virtuosic, fun, and at times
hauntingly beautiful. You won’t want to miss the chemistry between these three
old friends!
Also featured on the program is Iowa City composer
Michael Kimber’s Three Armenian
Impressions, several works originally for piano and a selection of Klezmer
tunes arranged for the ensemble. Klezmer is a musical tradition of the
Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe. In America, the tradition has been influenced
by jazz, but remains strongly rooted in folk songs and dance.
Christine Bellomy is principal clarinetist of Orchestra
Iowa and the Cedar Rapids Municipal Band. She completed doctoral studies at the
University of Iowa in 2005. Christine is an avid chamber musician, and
performs in a variety of venues, including the Orchestra Iowa Woodwind Quintet,
the Iowa Composers’ Forum, the University of Iowa Center for New Music, and a
number of ad hoc groups. Christine organizes Clarinotes, a clarinet quartet
that performs in area hospitals, retirement homes, and other
locales. She has been a close colleague of Carey and Miera for 25
years.
Performances of A
Little Klezmer Among Friends will culminate in February with MainStage
events at 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 17 at the Chapel of
Mercy on the Mount Mercy University campus, 1330 Elmhurst Drive NE, Cedar
Rapids, IA and 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 18 at the
Englert Theatre, 221 East Washington St., Iowa City, IA.